DESCRIPTION
Combining senses make thing better keepable, easier rememberable, fast understandable and deeper reliable…
Developed by cognitive psychologist Allan Paivio in 1971 the “dual coding theory” proposes that the human brain has two distinct but interconnected systems for processing information: a verbal system for language, anda non-verbal system for images and sensory impressions (1971!).
When both are engaged through pictures, diagrams, metaphors, or visual storytelling, information becomes more deeply encoded, easier to recall, and more emotionally resonant.
Its adaption into business storytelling, combines words & visuals (slides, icons, metaphors, sketches or videos) instead of relying on text or speech alone. It’s not about making slides prettier, but about aligning two cognitive pathways so your audience understands and remembers your message more effectively.
People will remember stories better when words and visuals work together and our brains process verbal and visual information through two complementary systems when both are activated, recall and understanding multiply. Dual coding turns complex ideas into clear, memorable messages and it’s science-based storytelling makes the story visual and and cognitive.
ORIGIN
Developed by Allan Paivio from the University of Western Ontario it was first published in Imagery and Verbal Processes in 1971.
Expanded in later works like Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach (1986), the theory was foundational for cognitive psychology, multimedia learning, and instructional design.
The dedicated adaption and “how to” to storytelling ha been created and described by Manuel Kirailidis already in his first sessions to underline the effectiveness from scientifical work to daily storytelling…
USED BY
…by all those who created “this one slide” you have in mind when you think about the last well explained topic you can still remember today… 😉
This could be stuff from educators and learning designers, corporate coaches, trainers and consultants and storytellers and visual designers to simplify complex concepts.
METHOD
MATERIAL YOU COULD NEED: Creative boards, whatever you work with… 😉
STEPS
IDENTIFY YOUR KEY MESSAGE
Choose one core idea that must be remembered or acted upon.
Example: “Our company’s transformation is about empowering customers through trust.”
TURN WORDS INTO VISUALS
Find out hat image represents this idea and create icons, metaphors, or diagrams.
Example: “Empowerment” becomes a hand passing a key or “trust” becomes a bridge.
PAIR TEXT AND VISUALS
Each visual should directly reinforce the word or phrase it accompanies. Avoid irrelevant stock photos by using simple symbolic cues.
USE IT STRUCTURED AND SEQUENTLY
Build visual “stories” and use flow diagrams, timelines, or emotional arcs to show change.
MERGE THEM
Ask test audiences to label visuals, sketch ideas or connect text to image if yours do not work.
Use AI for creating visuals or finding out which visuals could work.
Dual Coding works because it leverages two memory systems in parallel:
- Verbal coding for abstract, sequential, and language-driven (words, logic).
- Visual coding – holistic, spatial, and image-driven (shapes, scenes, metaphors).
When both are activated, the brain builds cross-referencing links between them. That redundancy strengthens recall (you can “see” or “say” the idea later), and comprehension improves because information is processed through multiple channels.
In essence: words tell, visuals show, and the combination makes meaning “stickier.”
Example: A presenter describing “customer journey transformation” might narrate verbally the story of a customer moving from confusion to satisfaction (verbal channel) and show a winding path leading to a bright open door as visual metaphor (visual channel).
Together, they reinforce the same concept emotionally and cognitively
The result: the audience remembers both the path and the purpose >60% better and longer then if they would have consumed this in a non-combined way.
ALTERNATIVES and ADDITIONALS:
“Multimedia learning theory” by Richard E. Mayer in 2001: expands dual coding into principles for combining text, images, and narration even more effectively.
“Cognitive theory of multimedia learning” by Mayer & Moreno in 2003: adds cognitive load considerations to avoid overload.
“Picture superiority effect”, a research by Allan Paivio and Roger Shepard: people remember pictures better than words alone.
“Visual thinking and sketchnoting” by Dan Roam and Sunni Brown who applied similar cognitive principles for business communication.
“Embodied cognition” from Lakoff & Johnson to suggests that metaphors and sensory imagery ground abstract thought in physical experience.
